Poster #14

Vicarious Trauma of Third Culture Kids: Discovering Healing Stories Through Metaphors

By: Sandra McMahan, Joy Tanji, Jodie Gerson and Robert Yoshimura

Abstract:

The military tries hard to create a stable environment for military families. It offers a predictable structure and organization no matter where the family travels. Despite these efforts, though, children of military families have a different experience than their peers, including prolonged separations, frequent moves, pressure to conform, and potential exposure to traumatic experience related to family members injuries and possible deaths (Huebner, 2018). Huebner (2018) found that the military environment and lifestyle contribute to behavioral, peer-related problems, and academic challenges for military dependents ages 6-10. They are subject to attending, on average, nine schools during their primary and secondary school (Huebner, 2018). Changing duty stations and responsibilities negatively impact their relationships at home, at school, and in the community. Like their non-active duty parents, the children of military families try hard to compartmentalize their losses and needs for stability and, in so doing, experience a pervasive sense of homelessness and unresolved grief. Whether their parents are active duty or serve in the reserves, military dependents have more emotional and behavioral problems than their same age peers (Gewirtz & Youssef, 2016). Even if they opt out of the system as adults, they find themselves forever in “the fortress.” Metaphoric work may provide a means of giving voice to and transforming untold, self-identity changing, unexpected outcome, and healing stories (Angus & Greenberg, 2011). This poster examines the unseen trauma experienced by children of the military and proposes a metaphoric strategy for giving voice to and facilitating the processing of these untold stories.